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What is Project HotSpot?

The goal/purpose of Project HotSpot is to get major U.S landmarks mapped out to a level of detail beyond normal commercial map data providers. We're starting with a top 10 list of places asked for by the commercial MapQuest.com website.

If we can get these ten places looking very spiffy, then MapQuest will feature the OSM maps of these places as "Premium Maps" of these locations when they are returned as Search Results for our approximate 50 million monthly unique visitors to MapQuest.com

Why are we doing this?

Well.. Ok. As head of MapQuest Open, I made a bet with the head of MapQuest.com that OpenStreetMap can produce more detailed, more accurate, and more helpful maps of key tourist locations than commercial data vendors.

If we succeed, MapQuest.com must feature these locations using OSM data. And the head of MapQuest.com must buy me a drink. And I will personally buy a drink for everyone who helps, that turns up to SOTM 2011.

To be serious for a second - MapQuest Open is tasked with improving the OSM data for the US. I firmly believe that the correct way to do this is to grow and engage the OSM community. If we can get these top 10 places mapped to a really good level of detail, then it helps justify to MapQuest/AOL that I'm right, and we can do this, and USA OSM data is worth continuing to invest in, and we get to continue doing things like contributing to Mapnik and Nominatim and Potlatch 2, and making free directions services and stylesheets, and all the other things we are working on.

So, in short: If you feel that we at MapQuest are helping add to OSM in a positive way... please please help us out on this project, so we can justify our investment to those who peer at me with beady eyes over the top of spreadsheets.

Update!

Check out the great work that has already been done! We've added images below that show the changes in the OSM data that have been completed in just one month since this project was started! Let's keep up the good work!